Fall 2021 Vol 34, Issue 2
News for the Friends of Lutherans Outdoors in SD MY FIRST SUMMER AT CAMP BY VICKI FOSS, DIRECTOR OF NESODAK
Wonderful, crazy, life-changing, exhausting, exhilarating, mathematically challenging, mechanically challenging, soul-filling, and amazing. How do you even start explaining some of these descriptors? Let me tell you about my first summer at NeSoDak as the Camp Director. Please know that I started in March of 2021, coming fresh off a year of closure due to the pandemic. Walking into Sorensen Lodge on my first day on the job at NeSoDak Bible Camp, I was overcome with many conflicting emotions. NeSoDak is a BIG deal and more than a bit intimidating. At almost 80 years old and full of traditions, alumni, stories, and huge personalities, the camp is so unique and beloved by pretty much every person I have met since the move. I was worried that I would not be enough for this ministry.
Vicki Foss, Camp Director, with counselors Daniel Gonzalez and Derly Diaz.
And then, I met the NeSoDak and Lutherans Outdoors in South Dakota team. Wow! What an amazing and passionate group of people who all have HUGE hearts for Outdoor Ministry! I am truly blessed to be a part of this team! The first two months I was on site, the Lutherans Outdoors staff waded through the details of how to keep campers safe during a pandemic. How we clean, how we serve food, and how we physically distance campers were just some of the challenges the team faced. Creative thinking and the ability and willingness to try new things by the staff made what could have been overwhelming, into a new adventure. Not being able to get onto the closed college campuses to recruit summer camp staff was a huge challenge. I am so incredibly grateful to LO’s partners in ministries such as Lutheran Campus Ministries, other camps, pastors, and alumni who did their best to find summer staff for not only NeSoDak but all camps this summer. With the camp being shut down for 18 months, turning everything back on was nerve-wracking. Thankfully, God put the right people at the right time in the right place, and we weathered many storms! The statement I found myself saying over and over was, “I don’t know, but we will figure it out!” Whatever “it” was at the time, this leadership team and summer staff rolled with the punches, and we made things work. This amazing summer and leadership staff “Figured it out!” (With the help of a lot of hand sanitizer, duct tape, and baling twine.) With the crazy picture I painted for you, my first summer at NeSoDak was absolutely wonderful. I am incredibly hopeful for all that is coming this fall and winter at camp as we focus on retreat ministries and prepare for a “Boundless-ly” fun and fantastic summer of 2022!
Outlaw Ranch Staff “Being a camp counselor this summer, taught me how to embrace who I am and to never shy away from who you truly are. God has beautifully created you piece by piece and knowing that God placed me here this summer, is truly a blessing. Camp is the place to face your fears, take chances, and unfold what God has planned for you.”
Thank you to the LO summer staff for their leadership during Summer 2021! We give thanks for these leaders. The Holy Spirit did amazing work through the staff at NeSoDak, Klein Ranch, and Outlaw Ranch.
Klein Ranch Staff
NeSoDak Staff “Camp is such a wonderful place to be at peace in nature, observing the small beauties I often overlook in the hustle of my normal life. Now that I’m back on campus, I find myself going out of my way to observe the finishing touches God put on the world: little lizards running around, the leaves on trees, and a breath of fresh air after a day in the library.”
Lutherans Outdoors in South Dakota welcomes all to andD experience W W W . explore L O S . O RChrist’s G love in community and creation. ~ Mission Statement of Lutherans Outdoors in South Dakota